Author Archive for Tom Charles

Google Glass has gone on sale in the UK, with “creative” consumers and developers alike capable of getting their hands on the android-based technology if they’re willing to part with £1000. The UK release has led to further concerns regarding the privacy aspects of Glass.

Google Glass’ privacy debate is still open for discussion, especially as there is little way of knowing exactly when someone might be taking a picture of you, or when your personal details might be stolen through the built-in camera, such as when you’re putting in a PIN of some sorts.

Also, there’s still confusion surrounding the legal implications of Google Glass, which has led to Google telling the first users of the product to maintain the same level of courtesy and standards they would when taking a picture with a camera or mobile phone.

Interestingly, in a poll connected to the privacy concerns of Google Glass in the US, 72% of Americans felt that there was a cause for concern when it came to feeling awkward or concerned about their privacy.

However, Google have stressed that Glass is still a prototype and that its valuation reflects the fact that it is meant for developers rather than consumers, so we could see changes to its privacy settings in the future.

This also means that the commercial value of the product will be significantly less than the £1000 you have to pay in the UK at this time.

Whilst the cloud has been utilised by companies all over the world, many business owners are still left feeling a little uneasy with the idea of having important data on the wrong side of their own personal security protocols.

The hybrid-cloud, an alternative to standard cloud computing, allows companies to retain some of their vital digital information in house by having total control and utilising their own defences against any potential security threat to their stored data.

Despite this, companies need more from the cloud to have the assurance that they don’t have to look after their precious data themselves.

The answer could come from new network services, which are being offered by cloud-service providers to create a connection between the clients infrastructure and the PoP (Points of Presence) of the provider.

These dedicated connections, rather than the standard internet pathway, mean that clients would not have to share their bandwidth with anyone else, can increase and decrease their bandwidth as they please and benefit from easily-transferable data that eliminates internet insecurities.

These dedicated connections between provider and client are not new and are well tested, so companies can feel more assured about the data they store on the cloud by following up this type of data storage service.

With the World Cup underway, you would have thought that a nation blessed by a huge football tradition would welcome hosting such a tournament. Unfortunately, the tournament has been overshadowed by protests from activists who are unhappy with the expenses put towards the tournament in comparison to basic salary and healthcare. Intriguingly, one of the many ways activists have looked to protest is by hacking official websites.

Back in February, activists stated that they had the capabilities to hack official sites and subsequently disrupt the tournaments progression online. One of the activists, known as Che Commodre, said in February that “The attacks will be directed against official websites and those of companies sponsoring the cup. It’s fast, damaging and relatively simple to carry out”.

Thankfully, the activists ruled out the possibility of targeting the Brazilian population, stating that official websites were their primary target. With the World Cup having kicked off last night, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to learn that hackers were putting their plans into action over the last 48 hours.

One of the biggest concerns for the Brazilian population is how easy the hacking process could be, with another activist stating that the procedures would be “nothing out of this world as security remains very low”.

It seems that the Heartbleed bug has left a rather worrying aftermath behind it, after the subsequent fix was found to have smaller bugs that had originally gone undetected.

These security holes are not thought to be as dangerous as Heartbleed, although they have proven to be much harder to exploit and deal with.

Heartbleed was brought to light a few weeks back when it was found that the popular OpenSSL software had been compromised, which brought about concerns regarding the security of personal data stored on websites.

OpenSSL was originally meant to encrypt data that was transferred from one user to the other over the internet. Major companies have since provided the project with more cash to improve their security methods and prevent any further exploitation from taking place.

A spokesman from the firm Rapid7 issued a statement saying “They are going to have to patch. This will take some time”. Updated versions of OpenSSL have already been released, so anyone who is still vulnerable has been urged to carry out the necessary updates as soon as possible.

If you want to learn more about our free network health check solutions, contact us today and we’ll take you through our services.

Ransomware, an evil type of Malware that looks to take your money through forceful and threatening means of negotiation, has returned to the forefront of security threats this week after it was found that Android users were at risk from ‘Koler’ ransomware.

People who were unfortunate enough to experience ransomware in the past will know just how frustrating it can be. Victims are threatened by fake legal authorities, encouraging them to part with their cash in order to rid the troublesome malware from their device. What makes it a particularly devious form of malware is the way in which attacks its victims should you refuse to pay. You will be either:

A) Locked out of the device permanently unless you pay, although they leave data alone and treat it as a ‘hostage’.

B) Encrypt your data so that you can’t use it, meaning you have access to your device but can’t actually do anything with it from there!

Usually, ransomware gains access to your computer through undercover online interaction, taking the form of a seemingly harmless software or application update. Should you install Koler on your android device, you could be at risk.

What is good to know is that the vast majority of apps are aware of Koler and will prevent it from being installed. A few tips for you to follow include avoiding apps you find in embedded adverts and making sure you have effective online security for your device. Most malware originates from illegal content but spreads throughout the internet easily over time.

A final piece of advice regarding this potential threat would be to consider backing up your android files using a cloud system, as Android doesn’t make it easy for you to back up your files.

Yet another example of why data security plays such an important role for any online business came to light this week, with eBay confirming that a cyber-attack took place between February and early March.

If you’re thinking that this is just another rogue hacking scheme, think again. Consider that an incredible 233 million people have had their personal details compromised, including their email addresses, phone numbers, account passwords and dates of birth.

It doesn’t stop their either. Don’t forget that eBay own the rights to PayPal, the online payment service that stores credit card details. Despite eBay insisting that PayPal hasn’t been compromised, can we really put our confidence in eBay holding on to such important data if they have failed to secure 233 million user accounts?

The database that was hacked contained all kinds of data, including encrypted passwords. As was the case with the infamous Heartbleed crisis, eBay have similarly encouraged their users to change their passwords as soon as possible, with many accounts still potentially in jeopardy.

On Wednesday, eBay introduced a feature that automatically provides you with instructions on changing your password, whilst they have also distributed emails and made the most of social media to let people know of the threat posed by the recent cyber-attack.

However, the question will now continue to roll on regarding what customers have to do to ensure that their details are kept safe online. There could even be a call for internet companies to cap the amount of personal data that they are allowed to obtain from their customers.

Unfortunately, the threat of online criminality is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, but you can protect your online business by making the most of our data security services here at Pronetic. Get in touch today for more information.

We’ve all had to go through the struggle of forgetting our passwords at some point in our lives, but for a thriving business with all kinds of login details affiliated to social media sites and programs across the internet, it can really damage the productivity of a working day.

Thankfully, various iOS-based applications specifically designed for password management are available in the App Store today, providing iOS users with useful organisation methods that combat the irritating prospect of forgetting your password and keep your online business secure.

It’s important for passwords to remain secure and this is what separates the good password management tools from the great ones. Here are three password management applications we feel your business can’t do without:

1Password

1Password is a really useful password management tool that gives you a wide range of useful features for a reasonable £17.99 in the App Store, whilst it’s also available on other separate operating systems. You can group your individual passwords together to create a well organised categorical system, whilst it can also create highly complex passwords for you to use.

mSecure

mSecure uses an encryption tool to ensure that a password remains secure at all times, whilst it doesn’t save any of your passwords away in the application itself, giving you an extra level of much needed security. You’ll receive automatic backup reminders every now and then and a useful password generator. One of its best features is its custom layout that lets you store all kinds of important data, from key codes and bank account data to safe combinations.

iCloud Keychain

iCloud Keychain is an incredibly useful tool that uses the secure iCloud storage system to maintain important data for you or your business, including credit card details, logins, networks and so on. It works across a number of different platforms and encrypts your important data so that you can access it from the iCloud whenever you need to. You’ll get a free 5GB account on installation, with room for expansion should you feel it necessary.

Ubisoft’s upcoming blockbuster ‘Watch Dogs’ is a game that focuses a lot on the general failings of the online world as it is today, with some of the basics of online security still being ignored by internet users across the world.

The ability to hack and gain access to various government security protocols is pivotal should the protagonist succeed, whilst you might also find it necessary to distribute your affiliated crimeware across an entire society by accessing smartphones, tablets, pocket security devices and so on.

Many video games have looked to reinforce the bridge between the virtual world and reality, though few will have managed to succeed in similar style to that of Watch Dogs. It’s focus on digital security flaws and online hacking capabilities makes it a game that reflects the general attitude of society today.

With hacking becoming an all-too-familiar occurrence should vulnerable internet users fail to strengthen their online security, the market for internet security tools has grown and is slowly becoming an essential investment, from domestic users to corporate businesses and government officials.

Ubisoft probably aren’t intending for their latest project to act as an example to those who don’t make internet security a priority, although it’s likely that the general idea of someone from across the road being able to access your personal data, passwords etc. has enough of the fear-factor to persuade us to take action.

Windows XP was hit with its first major threat since Microsoft stopped providing security updates earlier this week. The security flaw was present on Internet Explorer and gave any potential hackers the opportunity to take control of the user’s computer. You simply had to follow a bad link before you were targeted, which could easily occur in a domestic environment and equally pose a threat to online businesses.

For people who use the updated version of Windows, the issue could simply be resolved by having automatic security updates turned on. However, we all expected Windows XP users to suffer greatly from the bug, so much so that it could finally drive the last remaining users away from the operating system.

However, the patch released by Microsoft isn’t the only step they’ve taken to get rid of the problematic bug. Interestingly, they’ve also dealt with the issue in Windows XP users, meaning that people who still rely on the aging operating system can live to fight another day.

The patch was released yesterday, so anyone who hasn’t got hold of it yet can head directly to Microsoft support. Alternatively, you may have already had automatic security updates turned on, in which case you don’t have to worry.

Dustin Childs of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing was quoted on cnet as saying “We have made the decision to issue a security update for Windows XP”, although he did stress that Microsoft doesn’t support Windows XP anymore and they still encourage people to switch to a newer operating system as soon as possible.

In the last couple of weeks we’ve covered both Heartbleed and Windows XP stopping their security updates and they are both pretty serious issues that need addressing.

However, Heartbleed has managed to achieve a substantial amount of media attention at just the wrong time, with people prioritising the issue and ignoring the fact that Windows XP is still widely being used.

Ultimately, it seems quite surprising that news channels and other media outlets would brand Heartbleed as such an important vulnerability when Windows XP could pose much more of a threat.

The problem is that Heartbleed’s consequences became apparent instantaneously, with the words “credit cards” and “passwords” making front page news.

On the other hand, April 8th brought about little visible changes in the operations of Windows XP despite security updates disappearing.

It’s clear that, without visible threats, people are prepared to take risks. They might have spent the entire weekend backing up files preparing for Heartbleed but completely forgot that all of this was happening on their Windows XP PC.

The crux of this post is that Heartbleed mustn’t act as a cloak that covers up the true threat of continually using Windows XP. Hackers are far more likely to be preparing for future flaws in Windows XP than wasting their time with a glitch in OpenSSL.

The longer you decide to stick with Windows XP, the bigger the risk. It’s something that can’t be changed and won’t get better, so make this your top priority if you’re worried about online security!